New Valley Egypt: Location, History, and Importance Explained

If you are thinking of exploring Egypt, you can’t overlook the New Valley Egypt. This place is famous for having a number of tourist attractions. Especially in the desert area, there are 139 archaeological and tourist sites, in addition to various tourisms such as hospitals, medical, and safari. It has various natural resources, in addition to having various natural reserves. In this blog post, we’ll shed light on various aspects associated with the New Valley in Egypt. Let’s get started:

What is New Valley?

The New Valley is considered the largest governorate in Egypt, which covers more than 37% of the country’s total area in the southwestern Western Desert. You can see Egyptian history engraved in the New Valley. There is the presence of various monuments from the Ancient Egyptian civilization, the Ptolemy era, the Roman era, the Coptic period, and the Islamic period. 

Where is New Valley in Egypt?

New Valley is a governorate of Egypt. It is located in the southwestern part of the nation, in the south of Egypt’s Western Desert, between the Nile, northern Sudan, and Southeastern Libya. 

What is New Valley known for?

The New Valley is the largest governorate, known for its vast Western Desert landscapes, such as the White Desert, amazing oases like Farafra and Dakhla, and therapeutic hot springs. It is one of the best places for safaris, eco-tourism, and ancient, historical sites, such as the Temple of Hibis and the Bagawat tombs. 

History of New Valley in Egypt

2011 Egyptian Revolution: In the New Valley Governorate, violent clashes were reported on February 8-9, 2011, as part of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Protestors set fire to the National Democratic Party building and police stations. Apart from hundreds of injuries, several deaths were reported amid claims that the police opened fire on protestors in Kharga Oasis with live ammunition. 

2014 Farafra ambush: Unidentified gunmen ambushed a desert checkpoint on 19 July 2014 by the Farafra Oasis road in New Valley Governorate. 22 border guards were killed in the attack.

Landmarks of the New Valley

• White Desert Reserve

White Desert Reserve is one of the most important and stunning natural reserves in Egypt. It is situated 38 km away from the city of Farafra in the direction of the Bahariya Oasis and adjacent to an asphalt road at a depth of 25 km. It is a sedimentary creation of limestone; erosion aspects have turned its many parts into different animal or plant forms, and it is characterized by the beauty of nature. It has a dry atmosphere with clear environment, free from pollution, and some trees, such as palm trees and acacia, grow among these rocks. 

• Golf el-Kabir Reserve

The Gold el-Kabir Reserve is found in the south of Jabal Al-Owainat. It is the largest meteorite fall field in the world. It has Nubian sand rocks at a height of around 1000 meters above sea level. It has mountainous areas, narrow, deep valleys, and chains of the Great Sand Sea stretching from north to south. 

• Jarrah Cave

Jarrah Cave is found 120 km from Farafra. It has scratchings showcasing that the first humans lived in this place. 

• Wadi Hanas

These areas are located 55 km away from the city of Farafra, extending to the north, and attract travelers to spend a night or more to enjoy the beauty of nature and the dry atmosphere free from environmental pollution. These areas are featured by the existence of flowing Roman springs and are covered by large quantities of Acacia and palm trees. There are some rare wild animals and birds found in these areas. 

• Mountain of British

This name came from the time when the British were in control of the Oasis area. It became popular during that time period. It can be addressed by the ruins on the mountain top. Captain Wilms of the British army established a building with three rooms and a bathroom to track the forces that were attacking the Oasis at that time. Mount Al-Inglis is unique because of its black summit, as it has basalt stones, which are volcanic rocks that showcase the existence of ancient volcanic activity in the region. 

• Jabal Kamel Reserve

In February 2010, the Jabal Kamel was found during a geophysical expedition that had a team of Egyptian and Italian researchers. This great global scientific event was posted in many international scientific journals in July 2010. This meteorite is situated in the Toshka area, between Jabal Kamel and Jabal Al-Owaynat, close to the Golf Al-Kabir Reserve in the Western Desert, around 2 km from the Sudanese border and around 150 km from the Libyan border. 

Total Area of New Valley

The total area of New Valley is 440,098 km². 

When is the National Day of New Valley in Egypt Celebrated?

On October 3rd, the national day of New Valley in Egypt is celebrated annually. 

Conclusion 

The blog shares information on the New Valley in Egypt, with its history and other key facts. If you are interested in learning some interesting facts about ancient places in Egypt, continue reading our blogs. Despite this, if you want to explore ancient places, temples, tombs, and other beautiful cities in Egypt, you can book a Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan with Nile Cruisen.

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